.Ait4r1 igaxt BEaiIj Vol. LXXX, N) 1 Ann Arbor, Michigan-Wednesday, August 27, 1969 Ten Pages STUDENT ACTIVITIES 0 . Student government fights local merchants By LORNA (C'HEROT \\ITH THE FIGHT against non-academic University rules completed victorious- ly, Student Government Council has turn- ed to consumer protection and academic reform as its major areas of concern. Notoriously high Ann Arbor prices prompted Council members to prepare for a strong battle with local merchants. By March, SGC was ready to take two key steps toward making the city a less expen- sive place to live. The first move was a successful boycott of Stephan's, a local store selling mostly candy, toiletries and non-prescription drugs. A preliminary price survey conduct- ed by SGC had shown that the cost of a random list of items at Stephan's was 34 percent higher than those outside Ann Ar- bor and the highest in the city. l 'NDER PRESSURE from the boycott Which had drawn support from such apolitical organizations as Panhellenic As- sociation and Interfraternity Council -- Haikaz Stephan, owner of the store, agreed to reduce his prices somewhat. Meanwhile, SGC took an even more dramatic step with the opening of a Dis- count Store in the Student Activities Bldg. The store sells notebooks, typing paper, cigarettes, records and other student sup- plies at prices 10 percent lower than other stores in the University area. In addition, the store offers a discount of up to 80 percent below local cost on art supplies. And the Discount Store has met an en- thusiastic response from bargain conscious students. Within a month a second branch was opened to sell only records. But the Discount Store is only part of SGC's business plans. Council members now hope to set up a fully-supplied book- store to provide students with an alterna- tive to the high prices charged at the few bookstores in the University area. IN LAST MARCH'S SGC elections, stu- dents voted overwhelming support for a one-time $1.75 additional tuition assess- mnent to provide Council with sufficient capital to begin the proposed bookstore. The assessment proposal awaits Regental approval as this supplement goes to press. Council is also actively seeking approv- al from the State Legislature for the for- mation of a Student Credit Union which would be able to grant loans and credit cards to University students and faculty members. Council'has also taken a secondary role in the Ann Arbor rent strike with its fi- nancial contributions to the Tenants' Un- ion and its offer to become a co-defendant in a suit pending against the strikers. Individually and collectively, Council members have also taken an active role in attempting to secure academic reforms. SGC joined with Radical Caucus in circu- lating petitions opposing the literary col- lege's language and distribution require- ments, and individual members pushed for liberalization of the college's degree re- quirements. 'JTHE ACTIVIST nature of Council is, to a large extent, the result of the liberal and radical politics of the victors of recent elections. At present, for example, Council includes several members of the Radical Caucus-a group which last fall splintered off from the local SDS chapter in a dis- agreement over priorities and tactics. The biggest success of Radical Caucus came in the heavily disputed March elec- tions. An ambiguity in the SGC bylaws threw the presidential-vice presidential race into the Credentials and' Rules com- mittee when none of the seven candidates received a majority. The committee decided to hold a run- off between the three leading tickets. But the leading candidate withdrew, claiming he had already been elected. Credentials and Rules Committee members said he had not received the majority vote required in the bylaws. THE WINNERS OF the runoff--President Martin McLaughlin and Vice President Marc Van Der Hout-are both prominent members of Radical Caucus. And this fall, McLaughlin's Council will have to face a series of issues which will probably set the tone for student activism in the coming year. McLaughlin is presently studying the problems of students in various schools and departments and hopes to offer SGC's help to those groups seeking increased power in academic decision-making. See STUDENT, Page 2 'Dionysus in 69': Indecent exposure or artistic freedom? Ra dical aucus versus SDS By HAROLD ROSENTHAL HILE DOZENS of campuses across the country have been struck by a wave of demonstrations and disrup- tion, the University - once considered a "hot bed" of radicalism - has remained surprisingly quiet.- A number of factors have been suggested as reasons for this phenomenon - notably the apparent ability of President Robben Fleming to alleviate tensions within the University community. But perhaps more significant has been the unique nature and internal squabbles of Ann Arbor's radical stu- dents. Until last fall, the University had one relatively large, multi-issued group - Voice-SDS. But with disagreement mounting over tactics, ideology and priorities. Voice mem- bers lined up on opposite ends of a series of issues. Finally, the more moderate Radical Caucus split off from the larger body. And with this splintering off, there came a concomnni- tant diminishing of the influence of radical students in the University community, and a decrease in their ability to organize and stage demonstrations. The seccession of the Radical Caucus - which includ- ed the long-time student radical leadership - from Voice, left a group then called the Jesse James Gang in control. T THE TIME of the split, the Jesse James Gang favored a program of disrupting classes as a means of building a base of support for Voice's programs. "The old line leaders have lost touch with the radical tempo of the National SDS movement," said one Jesse James Gang member in explaining the schism. But Radical Caucus members remained firm in their belief that such tactics were improper and would gain little support for radicalism. "Any tactic which involves outside groups in the class- room against the wishes of the students involved is anti- democratic and authoritarian," said Radical Caucus mem- ber Marty McLaughlin, now president of Student Govern- ment Council. "Not only is it ethically wrong, but it will alienate people that the radical movement must seek as a base." "We're not against confrontation," said Bruce Levine, another prominent member of Radical Caucus, "but we don't go into the streets just to go into the streets. Con- frontations must be culminations of long, careful ground- work and planning." l EVINE CHARACTERIZED the James gang as "people who have no policies at all - just a lot of rhetoric which -w ,